Shifting the equilibrium of a biocatalytic cascade synthesis to enantiopure epoxides using anion exchangers

Hydroxide-loaded anion exchangers have been successfully employed to shift the equilibrium of a one-pot, two-step, two-enzyme cascade reaction affording enantiopure epoxides starting from prochiral α-chloroketones. The α-chloroketones were asymmetrically reduced employing an alcohol dehydrogenase and then transformed further to the corresponding epoxides employing halohydrin dehalogenases. Each epoxide enantiomer could be obtained with up to 93% conversion in enantiomerically pure form (>99% ee). In contrast to previous studies the amount of hydride donor (2-propanol) could be reduced due to favoured halohydrin formation in the reduction of α-chloroketones.